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Comment by halviti | Hacker News Reader

Nothing in your quote suggests blacks are ugly.

It does suggest they will work for less money, and if you're looking at demographics, blacks actually do tend to make less than whites in many places.

You can easily debate the merits of that, but I don't think you can draw a straight line between price and beauty here, as there could be many other factors at work, such as basic economics (supply and demand). i.e. - there could be a supply of 200 black people and 2 white people, making the whites more valuable simply because they are scarce.

I mean I agree with you, but I don't think you can directly jump to those conclusions based on this.

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It's the line before what he quoted which says "Now it is true that the price of white people is more expensive... but it makes the place feel classier."

I believe he has a right to be feel outraged. I do too.

This is a great example of capitalism's effect on morals: When a major investment looks risky, capitalists, instead of letting it fail and saying, "invisible hand, market, evolution, that's the way the cookie crumbles, that was a learning experience" compromise on their values and say, "Well, if I resort to playing into and supporting people's lowest tendencies with regard to race, then maybe I can recoup this investment."

In this case, it's their huge investment in housing that obviously nobody wants. They should just let it fail, but instead, they'll stoke and validate people's basest suspicions in an attempt to get their money back.

I would feel like shit if exploiting and perpetuating racialism made me millions.

I think the fact that they are paid less, in the context of the video, implies there is less demand for them (probably much less as I assume they are also in shorter supply. Could be wrong about that though). If there is less demand, and their value in this context is their appearance, that means their appearance is seen to be less valuable in impressing customers. Hence, the conclusion that black people are seen as less good looking than white people.

> the conclusion that black people are seen as less good looking than white people.

I dont think its about looks, its about status. White people atleast in India are considered to be rich and successful while black people who are from Africa are poor. I assume its the same in China.

I'm sorry to be so dismissive, but I've heard Mexican people say the same bullshit, that it's about social class, not about race (as if that made it any better).

First of all, India's full of racist and sexist bullshit. Evidence of this is arranged marriages in the papers and job ads that specify appearance or sex. There's a long way to go before all members of Indian society can truly have political and social equality.

Second of all, I hotly contest that genetics or appearance has no bearing how you're treated in India and only your social class does. If you're dark but wealthy, you're still seen as inferior to someone who is white and wealthy. And besides, when people first see someone, you can't immediately always guess their social class by their appearance, yet people will still use their appearance to decide how to treat someone.

In Mexico we have a very widespread and very invisible racism, institutionalised centuries ago by the Spaniards (to be fair, the Aztecs before them weren't that nice either). Mexicans can't see it like fish can't see the water they swim in. India has the same problem, and Indians try to deny it by saying that it's not about race, but about class, just like Mexicans do.

> India's full of racist and sexist bullshit.

I agree but to be fair, forget the white and black people, we hate others Indians too. Different religion, different language, different caste, we hate them all.

> that it's about social class,

Well if you saw the video they say the white guy is a model or a contestant from US show, so he is not just an average guy from the street so they are selling success/status aka social class.

The visa rules are pretty strict in China about having skills & qualifications. I only have anecdotal evidence, but the Africans in China that I have met are ambitious and educated. Either they're qualified professionals (okay, that may just mean a bachelor's & ability to speak English, which is as much as you can say about many Americans here) or they are students here to study.

That is not the point, its about the perception people see on TV and newspapers. Most Indians/Chinese dont interact directly with whites or blacks but they see all the white people from US/Europe all rich and successful while reports from Africa which is overwhelmingly black, show poverty and disease.

This creates a perception that whites are rich and successful while blacks not so much.

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